Portland Head Light Is Clad in Scaffolding
Photo courtesy of Ryan Walden
UPDATE: The lighthouse’s scaffolding was removed to reveal a new coat of paint on June 10.
To the dismay of swarms of tourists this weekend, the country’s most photographed lighthouse was a little less than picture perfect.
Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine has been undergoing renovations since April 23. Its fresh coat of paint was expected to be completed by June 17, but bouts of nasty weather pushed back the project’s end date. The dress of scaffolding the lighthouse is currently sporting won’t be gone until the end of June.
The famous 92-foot-tall beacon dates back to 1791. It’s inspected annually and is said to be in fairly good shape despite its age. The lighthouse, which is the oldest in Maine, was last painted eight years ago.
According to the Portland Press Herald, the paint job’s price tag is $65,000. In addition to repainting the structure and the gift shop, workers will fill in cracks in the stone masonry and replace rotted wood.
A newly improved Portland Head will be completed before the height of the summer tourism season. One more month until the angry Instagrams cease.
Photo by Raging Wire via Flickr/Creative Commons
